Work related fatalities have reached record lows in 2024 – even with unemployment at an all-time low.

33 people lost their lives while at work in 2024. Of these, the majority were employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry.

The rate of fatal work-related incidents reduced by 23% from 2023 to 2024.

Graph of workplace fatalities broken up by industry. Image: hsa.ie 2024 workplace fatalities report. 8/1/2025

Graph showing the rate of fatal work-related incidents per 100,000 workers. Image: hsa.ie 2024 workplace fatalities report. 8/1/2025

Chief inspector with the Health and Safety Authority Mark Cullen told Newstalk Breakfast this was a historic low.

“It’s a positive trend in respect of the number of fatalities that we’ve seen in 2024,” he said.

“That said, 33 people lost their lives, and the families and loved ones of those people who had to suffer and go through that trauma will not probably see it as a positive trend – but overall, we are seeing a downward trend.

“The Authority's position is that every single one of these fatal accidents is preventable, so for 2025 we want everybody – employers, employees and the self-employed – to make safety a priority.”

Attitudes toward safety

Mr Cullen said this drop in fatalities can be attributed to a shift in social attitudes.

“There is a significant culture of safety that has built up over the last number of years,” he said.

“A lot of people now see safety as a priority; their own safety and employers seeing their employees’ safety as a priority – so that can only be a good thing.

“I think there’s a lot more now working together in the workplace, more collaboration, more understanding."

Self-employed

According to Mr Cullen, those who are self-employed should be especially mindful of their safety.

“They are working alone a lot of the time, and they may not have the same resources, or may not take the same time out to plan for their work,” he said.

Ms Cullen also warned employers to be mindful of employees over the age of 55 when assigning tasks.

“I put myself in that category and yes, it is just an age – but in terms of health and safety, we do still slow down and we have to understand our limitations,” he said.

“If you put that age group working in the self-employed category, you can understand that maybe we’re not able to do what we could do in our 20s and 30s, so we’ve to take that into account."

Mr Cullen warned employers and employees alike not to become complacent in light of these figures.

Featured image: Person slipping on a step ladder. Image: Ronnie McMillan / Alamy. 2009